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University of Oklahoma star freshman Aaliyah Chavez joined the Latino Excellence podcast. The star guard has been a perennial SEC Freshman of the Week during her rookie campaign. Chavez, who was the top ranked girls basketball player in the Class of 2025 since her sophomore season, has continued to get better. Chavez discussed her freshman season and her growth with her father Sonny moving to Norman, Oklahoma, to be near her. Chavez also outlined her goals for the season and the lessons she has learned so far at OU.

In many ways, the basement of muralist Liz Flores’ childhood home in the Chicago suburbs was devoted to the Chicago White Sox, Marvel and DC Comics and Star Trek.  There will surely be a Cubs addition soon, though.Like a great majority of Mexican Americans living on the south side of Chicago or the suburbs south of the Windy City, Flores’ father Jaime Flores is a diehard White Sox fan. He has the mementoes to prove it. Liz Flores inherited her father’s White Sox fandom, but she knows enough about the iconic Chicago Cubs brand to have been receptive when the Cubs commissioned her to design the organization’s Hispanic Heritage Night jersey. “I’m excited,” she said. “It’s been really fun to work on it. It’s been it seems like such a long process.”Liz Flores’ murals can be found in Chicago. Her paintings are also in galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Italy. Although she’s clearly versatile, a great percentage of Flores’ work are figurative portraits. Most of those portraits feature women.According to the 2020 census, Latinos account for almost 29.7 percent of the Chicago population. Whites represent 31.4 percent of Chicago’s population, and African Americans account for 28.7. Flores is the daughter of a Mexican American father and a Cuban mother. Her mother Lizet arrived in the United States from Cuba at 12 years old. Flores’ Latina pride oozes in her work. She counts the iconic Frida Kahlo, the late Mexican muralist, among her inspirations. She’s also a fan of Mexican artists Hilda Palafox and Ana Leovy. “I’m very much inspired by like Latinad,” she says. “Being a Latina, just being a woman and womanhood and doing a lot of just storytelling through my paintings.  “And so, you know, I always hope that people can see themselves in the paintings or feel some sort of connection to the story I’m trying to tell through the painting or what I’m trying to say through the painting. And yeah, I would say that’s kind of who I am in a nutshell.”

In the latest episode of the Latino Excellence Podcast, Jesus Ortiz chatted with Pulitzer Prize finalist Gustavo Arellano of the Los Angeles Times. The Southern California native discussed a wide range of topics from journalism, the role of a columnist, Latino excellence and the immigration raids and protests in Los Angeles. Ortiz and Arellano also discussed the series of columns that were submitted for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize. Arellano, a son of Mexican immigrants from Zacatecas, is one of the rare Latino columnists at major American mainstream newspapers.  Ortiz and Arellano discussed the legacy of the late Los Angeles Times columnist Ruben Salazar, who opened the doors for Ortiz, Arellano and countless Latinos in journalism. Ortiz also pressed Arellano about his famous takes on Los Angeles Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw.

Persy Llamas helped the Ole Miss softball team reach the Women's College World Series for the first time in school history. The freshman from Eastvale, Calif., discussed her close-knit family and her adjustment to being so far away from home for the first time in her life. Llamas is hitting .355 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 53 RBIs. The 5-foot-6 freshman is second on the team in RBIs and third in home runs. Adjusting to big time college softball has been a lot easier for Llamas than being away from her close-knit family. “It has been tough not having her at home,” Maria Llamas says of her daughter. “Since she left we have been able to travel once or twice a month, so we are seeing her often, and that helps. “It’s just the family gatherings, trips and just being around each other that is the most sad. I got to admit, FaceTime has been so effective and helpful as well. We talk four-five times a day and text all the time. With her dad it's all about softball talks and with mom it's everything else.” With the help of her mother Maria and father Freddy, Llamas has learned to remain confident and believe in herself. Now, she's ready to compete for a national championship.

Diana Taurasi, arguably the greatest women's basketball player, is considered by many the best Latina athlete in U.S. history. She discussed her Latino roots, her beloved Argentine culture. Taurasi even weighed in on the Diego Maradona vs. Lionel Messi GOAT debate. "It's huge. You know, I always tell the story that yeah, I grew up in the U.S., but I lived in Argentina for 99% of my life," she said. "You know, the minute you walk through those doors, it was, you know, Argentinian food, Argentine music, our family." Taurasi, who has partnered with Sanofi and Regeneron, also shared lifelong battle with moderate-to-severe eczema. "You know how I got this great opportunity to partner with Sanofi, Regeneron with a Dupilumab," she said. "And, you know, eczema is something that affects millions of Americans. You know, every single day. "And it was something that, to me, was one of these inner battles that people don't get to see. When you're on the court or you know, you're playing in these high stakes games on national TV. Meanwhile, I'm having these little battles every single day with eczema. And, you know, something? I just couldn't couldn't get under control."

Texas A&M sophomore Mya Perez is one of the top sluggers in the Southeastern Conference. The left-handed slugger carries the fifth best batting average (.433) and slugging percentage (.827) in the SEC. She’s also fifth in the SEC with a team-leading 59 RBIs, 49 of them in conference play. Mya also leads Texas A&M with 13 home runs. The first baseman from Corona, Calif., rarely has family in the stands. So she cherished the opportunity to play in front of her grandfather for the first time during the three-game series against Arkansas.“It means a lot to me,” Mya says of her grandfather’s visit. “He’s always helped me since I was younger to grow into the athlete I am. I’m very happy that he’s here watching me.” Mya would look into Section 108 at Davis Diamond to make eye contact with her father and grandfather each time she got to first base. Her dad loved how Aggie fans reacted to her walk-up song, “Volver, Volver.” The gritos and buzz through the crowd gave Raymond Jr. a sense that his daughter has connected with her fellow Aggies and A&M fans. Mya Perez is a third-generation Mexican American from California’s Riverside County. Her paternal great grandmother Petra came over from Jalostitlan, Jalisco, Mexico. In the latest episode of the Latino Excellence podcast, Mya Perez discussed her career, her pride in her Latino culture, her early homesickness at Texas A&M, her family in Corona, Calif., and much more.

Congressman Joaquin Castro, who represents the 20th District of Texas, sat down with Jesus Ortiz to discuss his career, the need for Latino representation in all aspects of American society and much more. Castro, a native of San Antonio, is one of the leading Latino voices in American politics.  A product of San Antonio's public schools, Castro and his brother Julian attended Stanford University and the Harvard Law School. Castro has represented his San Antonio district in Congress since 2012 after a distinguished career in the Texas House of Representatives.  During the Latino Excellence podcast, Castro discussed the heartfelt tribute he made on the floor of the House of Representatives to Tejano music icon Johnny Canales after the Tejano music icon passed away last summer. Castro also discussed Latino Civil Rights, his education from San Antonio to Stanford and then Harvard Law School.  Castro also discussed the importance of Latino representation. He also discussed why it's OK to ask questions.

University of Arkansas golfer Clarisa Temelo, the first Mexican to win the 2024 Women's Amateur Latin America, is making her LPGA debut at The Chevron Championship. For about a decade, Clarisa Temelo has placed a special ball marker on the right side of her visor. Whether she’s playing on a golf course in her native Queretaro, Mexico, at the University of Arkansas, throughout the Southeastern Conference or in international competition, you can always spot her beloved green, white and red ball marker. Temelo left Mexico last fall to pursue her golf and educational career at Arkansas. Although she speaks to her parents often, they’ve not visited her. She has juggled life as a college freshman on her own, seeing her parents only during her visits back home during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Temelo, one of eight amateurs competing at The Chevron Championship this week, keeps Mexico close to her heart. Temelo has worn the ball marker with Mexico’s tricolor flag as a tribute to her homeland since she was 9 years old. “I love representing Mexico, saying that, yeah, I’m Mexican,” she says. “I always play with this mark. And yeah I love being like, ‘Hey, yeah, I’m from Mexico.’” With Latino Excellence Podcast host Jesus Ortiz, Temelo discussed her career, her pride in representing Mexico, her freshman season at the University of Arkansas, her LPGA dreams and much more.

University of Texas women's basketball associate head coach Elena Lovato is the top Latino coach at the 2025 Final Four, men's or women's.   Her Longhorns will face South Carolina on Friday night Tampa, Fla., in a national semifinal game. Lovato is in her third season as the associate head coach on Vic Schaefer’s staff. She also served one season as Texas’ assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for Schaefer, helping the Longhorns land the No. 4 ranked class in the country in 2021.  Before that, she spent four seasons over two stints at Mississippi State under Schaefer. She also served as the head coach of Arkansas-Fort Smith from 2016-2018. “Coaching basketball to me is about the love, the passion and the service that we get to display and help others and be blessed with these opportunities with the game,” Elena Lovato says. “So my journey starts with who I was raised by and who they molded me to be.  They gave me a big heart, and I work really hard.” Lovato’s parents, Frances and Ernesto, were a constant presence at her games, whether she was playing at West Texas A&M, coaching high school, junior college and Division II and Division I college.  “She’s my world,” Ernesto Lovato said from his hospital room Thursday. “We used to go everywhere ever since she was recruited out of high school to the college in West Texas in Canyon.” Frances Lovato died on Aug. 5, 2019, at 62 years old. Elena is still mourning her mother. She holds onto the memories and now serves as somewhat of an aunt-grandmother to her two brothers’ kids. Frances Lovato was somewhat of a team mom to Elena’s players at Trinity Valley Community College, Grayson Community, Fort Smith and Mississippi State. Winning and Elena’s parents were constants at Trinity Valley, where she won consecutive NJCAA Division I national titles in 2013 and 2014. She was the NJCAA Division I Coach of the Year after leading the 2013-14 Trinity Valley team to a 36-1 record. “My teams loved her,” Elena Lovato says of her mother. “She would cook enchiladas and sopapillas for them.” After her two national titles in her second stint at Trinity Valley, Elena joined Schaefer’s staff at Mississippi State before the start of the 2014-2015 season. She served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She helped Schaefer guide the Bulldogs to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and their first Sweet 16 appearance in five years. Her recruiting classes helped Mississippi State reach two national championship games.

Senior small forward Chad Baker-Mazara has helped Auburn reach the Final Four.  The native of the Dominican Republic is a key part of the No. 1-seeded Tigers' success this season.  In this episode of Latino Excellence, Baker-Mazara details his move from the Dominican Republic to the United States as a teen. He talks about his passion and desire to succeed.

UCLA junior Gabriela Jaquez has the No. 1 overall seed Bruins chasing their first national championship in women's basketball. Jaquez, the younger sister of former UCLA great Jaime Jaquez Jr., takes pride in representing her Latino culture. In the first episode of Our Esquina's Latino Excellence podcast, Gabriela discusses her the historic season at UCLA, her goals, her experience with the Mexican women's national basketball team and the Jaquez legacy at UCLA.

On March 8, 2021, Our Esquina held a panel discussion on Latinas in Sports in honor of International Women's Day.   Our Esquina celebrated the contributions of Andrea Nuñez of the San Franscisco Giants, Ilyanna Gutierrez of U.S. Soccer, Karina Anglada of the Golden State Warriors, Marisol Villagomez of the Denver Broncos, and Yvonne Carrasco Chalmé of Wasserman. They discussed the incredible work they do in the world of sports, their careers, their mothers' inspirational stories and the advice they'd give young Latinas.